The Good Dog Foundation, founded in 1998, provides therapy dog services to health care facilities and wherever the presence of a dog can help provide healing and comfort.

Pooches from the GDF have done their good work all over the tristate area in hospitals, veterans organizations, Alzheimer's facilities, autism research centers, schools, and disaster response zones.

Therapy dogs and human handlers go through extensive training courses before they can become certified Good Dog teams. If you think you and your dog have got what it takes, this is what you need to know about becoming a Good Dog volunteer.

Rachel McPherson, who founded the Good Dog Foundation, wrote the book Every Dog Has a Gift: True Stories of Dogs Who Bring Hope & Healing into Our Lives, documenting what dogs do for humans every day.

And the charmer below, Yuffie, was named after a much-loved GDF dog who brought who brought a ray of light to the city's Family Assistance Center for the family members of 9/11 victims. She's $25 here. You also can make a tax-deductible donation to the GDF.